Generally, milk is collected from a dairy farm by a milk tank truck driver whose duty includes the collection of milk samples from the co-op or farm and the identification of the sample so collected for possible future use. After the delivery of the milk by the milk tank truck driver to the milk processing plant, the milk collected is subject to various tests, particularly for beta lactam durgs, such as penicillin, or for microscopic examination for bacteria, dirt or other contamination prior to being processed. Where a milk tank truck is deemed to be contaminated, then further tests are generally conducted on the particular samples collected from the farms by the tank truck driver in order to determine the particular source farm of contamination.
It is the present practice for the farm to maintain a liquid sanitizing soultion, typically a chlorine-containing solution, near the milk collection point, and for the milk tank truck driver to employ a stainless steel ladle to sample the milk and to pour sampled milk into a plastic cylindrical vial, and then to seal the sampled milk with a sealing cap which conforms to milk sealing regulations. Prior to use of the milk sampling ladle, the sampling ladle is required to be immersed in the liquid sanitizing solution, and then rinsed in water to remove the sanitizing solution prior to use. Liquid sanitizing solutions, while subject to state inspection to be maintained at desired sanitizing levels, may be contaminated and may fail to maintain such sanitizing levels at all times. Further and importantly, while the tank truck driver or sampler is supposed to rinse the ladle after sampling, this may not be done at times, therefore leading to contamination of the milk to be sampled with the sanitizing solution.
It is therefore desirable to provide a new and improved sanitary milk sampling apparatus, method and technique which avoids the disadvantages and difficulties associated with the current state of the art milk sampling and which also provides additional benefits in cost and efficiency in the obtaining of effective and sanitary milk and other liquid samples.